During a combat deployment in Iraq, Mike Ritland saw a military working dog in action and instantly knew he’d found his true calling.

Ritland started training and supplying dogs for the SEAL teams, U.S. Government, and Department of Defense…with an important distinction:

He knew that fewer than 1 percent of all working dogs have what it takes to contribute to the success of our nation’s elite combat units, so Ritland searched the globe for animals who fit this specific profile. Then these specialized canines had to pass rigorous selection tests before their serious training could even begin.

The results were a revelation: Highly trained working dogs capable of handling both detection and apprehension work in the most extreme environments and the tensest of battlefield conditions.

Though fiercely aggressive and athletic, these dogs develop close bonds with handlers with whom they work side by side, as well as the other team members. Truly integrating themselves into their units, these K9 warriors are much like their human counterparts—unwavering in their devotion to duty, and strong enough and tough enough to take it to the enemy through pain, injury, or fear.

Ritland and his K9 Rico joined Wilkow to talk about his new book and the specialized training his canines go through:

Trident K9 Warriors gives readers an inside look at these elite canines—who they are, how they’re trained, and the extreme missions they undertake that savee countless lives, asking for little in the way of reward. From detecting explosives to eliminating the bad guys, these powerful dogs are also some of the smartest and most highly skilled working animals on the planet.